Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Check out this sweet bag that Marsha (the blogger behind Marsha's Spot) made using my ribbon for straps! This is the Water Color Flowers 1.5" Ribbon (it comes in satin and grossgrain, but the grossgrain, used here, is a lot sturdier.) As you can tell, the ribbon is only colored on one side...but you could sew another layer of ribbon (the same or another complimentary design or color) on the other side to make it two sided and add thickness).

I'm also giving away a couple yards of this and my red Scribbleprint ribbon!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

I pray for those who believe in and have reverence for God. Some of them may happen to inspect or come upon this writing which Patrick, a sinner without learning, wrote in Ireland. May none of them ever say that whatever little I did or made known to please God was done through ignorance. Instead, you can judge and believe in all truth that it was a gift of God. This is my confession before I die.~ St. Patrick

And so St. Patrick ends his Confessio. I have made it to the end and am glad I read it. I don't think anyone decided tor read along with me, and that's ok. The commitment to come and write about each day kept me at it, and for that I'm glad. And maybe it will inspire some to come read it later. (And sorry this last installment was a day late...I wanted to get it up by St. Patricks day, but, you know, sleep is important too.)

This is one of two pieces of writing which he wrote which we still have, and I hope to read the other (Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus) later...maybe I'll save that for NEXT St. Patrick's Day.

But right now I wanted to talk about some things I noticed related to a couple St. Patrick's Day legends I've come across and how they connect to what he writes in the Confessio, and through in a little history and archaeology too.

The Trinity and the Shamrock
St. Patrick is said to have taught about the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) using a shamrock or three leaved clover. There's no way to prove whether he did or didn't, but the first known story of him doing this is from the 1700's, and there wasn't even a picture of him with a shamrock until the 1600's. (1, 2).

But, what we see in the Confessio is that he did believe strongly in the trinity. There is a passage about the "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" both in the beginning and end of his confession. So while he may or may not have used a clover to illustrate it, he certainly did teach about the Trinity. Since the Celts considered three an important and powerful number, and their gods sometimes took three forms, the concept of the trinity might have been something they would have been especially receptive too (4).

The Celtic Cross
St. Patrick is also attributed with creating the Celtic cross (though he associated with various other cross designs as well). In modern Christianity, the circle on the Celtic cross symbolizes eternity and Jesus's everlasting love, as demonstrated by His sacrifice on the cross. But there are legends and speculations that St. Patrick incorporated the circle as a way to Christianize Celtic symbols associated with the sun or moon. One of them goes like this..

...when preaching to some soon-to-be converted heathens [St. Patrick] was shown a sacred standing stone that was marked with a circle that was symbolic of the moon goddess. Patrick made the mark of a Latin cross through the circle and blessed the stone making the first Celtic Cross.

Another version says that St. Patrick combined the cross with the symbol of the sun (which various Celtic peoples worshiped) "a way to associate light and life with the Christian cross in the minds of his converts." (3) Though there is no proof behind these stories, It's true that as Christianity spread throughout the British Isles, stones originally erected for pagan practices were carved with crosses and rededicated with Christian meaning (3, 4). And, what we do know from his Confessio is that St. Patrick used the sun as a metaphor for Jesus and made a point to contrast this with worship of the sun itself:

The sun which we see rising for us each day at his command, that sun will never reign nor will its splendor continue forever; and all those who adore that sun will come to a bad, miserable penalty. We, however, believe in and adore the true sun, that is, Christ, who will never perish.

St. Patrick and the Snakes
Of course, one of the most common myths about St. Patrick is that he drove the snakes out of Ireland, which, taken literally, is entirely untrue, as archaeology has shown there we're never any snakes in Ireland to begin with (1). Most people think that this is a metaphor for St. Patrick driving out pagan practices. And while this may be closer to the truth, it also lacks something of the essence of the truth. "Driving out the snakes" sounds almost militaristic, like forcible conversion to Christianity that happened during in the Spanish Conquest of the Americas. But the conversion of the Celtic people, which actually started at least 100 years before St. Patrick set food in Ireland, was gradual, and mostly peaceful (5). This comes through in St. Patrick's confession as well. While there is indication that he feared violence in retaliation to his preaching, both to himself and to his converts, there is no indication that he came from a place of power or relied on power to convert others to Christ, other than his relying on the power and protection of God. It is encouraging to see one who seemed to take seriously , in the way he ministered, the Biblical admonition below...

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;1 Peret 3:14-18, The Bible, NASB

But what can I say, or what can I promise to my Lord? There is nothing I have that is not his gift to me.~ St. Patrick

In this passage St. Patrick talks about how he seeks glory from God, not men, and how he is ready to face martyrdom if need be for the sake of the ministry God gave him. He again gives the credit to God for what he has accomplished, and will accomplish.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

I spend myself for you, so that you may have me for yours. I have traveled everywhere among you for your own sake, in many dangers, and even to the furthest parts where nobody lived beyond, and where nobody ever went to baptize and to ordain clerics or to bring people to fulfillment. It is only by God’s gift that I diligently and most willingly did all of this for your good.~ St. Patrick

These passages are the most fascinating I've read in the Confessio, as they give details of St. Patrick's ministry and the people he ministered in. Here St. Patrick defends himself from what seems to be a question of possible financial motives to his ministry, explaining the various ways that he was careful in the way he handled money and gifts--not taking payment for Baptisms or Ordinations, and returning gifts he was given....

When they would throw some of their ornaments on the altar, I would give them back to them. They were hurt at me that I would do this. But it was because of the hope of the eternal gift, that I was careful in all things, in case unbelievers would trap me or my ministry of service for any reason.

He also talked about how he had to give gifts to kings and pay for their sons to travel with him, and in spite of this he still saw his companions imprisoned and feared for his life.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

"I was not quick to accept what he showed me, and so the Spirit prompted me. The Lord was merciful to me a thousand thousand times, because he saw in me that I was ready, but that I did not know what I should do about the state of my life."~ St. Patrick

In today's passage he talks about his struggles to follow God. The line above especially struck me, maybe because I can relate to it...not so much in the past tense, as he says it, but in the present. It's hard sometimes, in our Christian walk, to know where to turn and how to go, and to follow the Lord's prompting. Again and again, as he has before, he thanks God for his forgiveness and mercy.

(I choose to make this passage or reading short, because the next section seems to go together and I couldn't figure out how to break it up...tomorrow will be a bit longer).

Friday, March 13, 2015

"It is right that we should fish well and diligently, as the Lord directs and teaches when he says: “Follow me, and I will may you fishers of men.”~ St. Patrick, quoting also from Matthew 4:19

I am not a good fisher. As I struggle with my own doubts it is hard to share with others. I struggle even how to put the Gospel into words for my own children, though I am doing better there than elsewhere. (How can I not teach my own children? Even my doubts are not strong enough to keep me from that. A mustard seed of faith is enough there, but somehow it takes more to share with my neighbors.)

So, I am humbled by this passage.

In it he talks about his converts, about how fathers do not like when their daughters become "virgins of Christ and how they, other men, and slaves who follow Christ suffer. He also expressed his own longing to go home to see his parents and church brethren, but how he felt he would be guilty before God for doing that, and feared "to lose the work" which he had begun. I think again of how difficult it must have been to be separated from family, without any easy means to go back and see them again...and I'm sure difficult for the families as well.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

"I am greatly in debt to God. He gave me such great grace, that through me, many people should be born again in God and brought to full life." ~St. Patrick

In this section he begains to tell about his ministry in Ireland. At every step he gives Glory to God for what he has accomplished there. He talks some of his trials but does not go into great detail (perhapse he will go into more detail later).

Are you reading along in St. Patrick'sConfessio? Please share your thoughts on this section in the comments below.
(Sorry I'm late in posting this today. Had a fun day out with my kids and wasn't able to get to this until we got home).

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

"Whatever comes about for me, good or bad, I ought to accept them equally and give thanks to God. He has shown me that I can put my faith in him without wavering and without end."
Alright...I goofed a bit in the way I broke this up: long section yesterday, super short one today. Oh well. This is sort of finishing yesterday's section about the accusations made against him. Here he shows his gratitude for Gods provision for him through that difficult time.

"I give thanks to the one who strengthened me in all things, so that he would not impede me in the course I had undertaken and from the works also which I had learned from Christ my Lord."~St. Patrick

This passage deals with an accusation against him ,from something in his past when he was a youth before he believed in God. He had shared something with a friend in secret which was later brought against him by his superiors. It's something many can relate to.

He never says what it was that was brought up against him, only that God forgave him of it.

Monday, March 9, 2015

They called out as it were with one voice: “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.”

I am reading through a few sections of St. Patrick's Confessio (one of the few works attributed to St. Patrick) every day, leading up to St. Patrick's Day. In this section he shared three visions he had to lead him on his calling to return to Ireland (where he had previously been taken as a slave, and had escaped from), and preach the Gospel to the people there.

I think also modern people are more hesitant to to put stock in visions, myself included, though my own testimony contains something similar in feeling the Holy Spirit's presence (though not a vision, really, just a sense).

The second vision leaves me feeling like there should be more to it...since there was a whole message but all he understood of it, if I am reading it right, was that the message was from God.

Are you reading along in St. Patrick'sConfessio? I would love to hear your thoughts on this section--please share in the comments below.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Public Domain photo of the Irish Coast (Copper Coast)"More and more the love of God increased, and my sense of awe before God."

This passage (16 - 22*) talks about how St. Patrick's faith grew during the 6 years he was enslaved in Ireland, and how he escaped slavery.

It's both a very interesting part of his Confession, and a somewhat confusing one. There was several phrases which I was glad to have the notes on (the online translation I'm reading has various linked notes inserted in the text.) One was particularly colorful...when after he had been allowed to board a ship to leave Ireland he said "That day, I refused to suck their breasts, because of my reverence for God." That raised my eyebrows a little so I checked the notes, which said "The practice of symbolically coming under the protection of another by sucking the breast was known in North Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey, Armenia, Caucasus region, Albania, as well as Ireland." VERY STRANGE! But it helps shed light on the passage...he would not come under their protection because he was under the protection of God.

In the last few days' reading he said much about his inadequacy in speaking in Latin, and up until now it felt like false humility, as to me each word in this Confessio felt finely crafted and poetic.. But in the sections I read today, when he shares his own story, it jumps around and feels awkward at times (and I don't mean just the odd idiom I described above). Of course, as with the previous days eloquence, it could be due to translation.

Are you reading along in St. Patrick'sConfessio? Please share your thoughts on this section in the comments below

Saturday, March 7, 2015

These passages of St. Patrick's Confessio talk about his call, in spite of being "a simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned."

It is right to spread abroad the name of God faithfully and without fear, so that even after my death I may leave something of value to the many thousands of my brothers and sisters – the children whom I baptised in the Lord.

I hear echoes of Paul's assertian in Corinthians 1 of his lack of eloquence or cleverness of speech in preaching the Gospel (1 Corinthians 10 -17, NIV & NASB). Here St. Patrick emphasizes a similar idea, though the topic is somewhat different, that the pedigree of the preacher does not matter, only the call of God and that the Gospel is preached.

Friday, March 6, 2015

In section 5 - 10 (all very brief...a sentence or two each), he talks about how he feels inadequate in his speech, since, because he was kidnapped in his youth and taken to a foreign country, he is essentially speaking in a second language, and also lacked the education others have had.

I blush and am afraid to expose my lack of experience, because I can’t express myself with the brief words I would like in my heart and soul.

To me, St. Patricks words seem skilled and poetic, but that may be the skill of the translator as much as his own...since it was originally written in Latin.

When I started reading the Confessio, I just jumped in, without looking up any background. I decided to do some brief research today into when, why, and what language it was written in. I learned from other sources that St.Patrick wrote his Confessio some time in the 5th century. It seems to be written in response to some sort of allegations against him from the church at "home" about something in his past, and his motives for his missionary work may have been called into question as well (as there are many places where he seems to be defending that he was not doing this for financial gain, by sharing how he returned gifts and refused payment for services he performed).

These are the circumstances that appear to have prompted Patrick to write his Confessio; but it is more than a mere apologia. It is a testimony to Patrick’s personal faith and trust in God, to whom he attributes the entire success of his mission in Ireland. In effect he is saying to his critics: ‛Look at the outcome of my mission here in Ireland, judge it by its results, and realise that without God’s help it would not have come to fruition at all’.

Getting back to this section of the Confessio, it makes me think of some of the people I know who have "jumped cultures"--who have traveled to other countries to spread the Gospel. Many struggle with speaking in their new language, but since St. Patrick was writing in Latin, not the Irish language, it seems he's struggling to write again in his native tongue. If missionaries today struggle to stay connected to those at home, even with modern technologies like the internet and phones, and opportunities to come home on furlough every few years...consider how hard it must have been in the past, when even sending a letter home took considerable resources.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Hello! Several years ago I began wonder how St. Patrick's Day was and still is celebrated as a religious holiday, and decided to start a linky to inviting those who celebrate St. Patricks Day as a Holy Day, not just a holiday, to share their ideas, traditions, crafts and reflections on St. Patricks Day.

I skipped doing this for a couple of years, but wanted to start out again. Starting a little late, so please ignore the "1st" start date at right.

I'd love to see posts about...

St. Patrick or the History of St. Patrick's Day

Christian St. Patrick's Day Traditions

Relevant St. Patricks Day crafts or activities

Relevant religious art

Reviews of films or books about St. Patrick or St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patricks Day Devotionals

Irish Blessings

Discussions of anything about this holiday from a Christian perspective.

Also ok...

Clover crafts, especially three leafed clover crafts

Traditional Irish recipes

Other St. Patricks day crafts, recipes and activities that, while not religious, could be enjoyed by someone celbrating this as a Holy Day.

What isn't appropriate...

Though posts don't have to be specifically religious in nature for this linky I'd prefer not to have posts focused on beer, luck, and leprechauns, unless they are discussed from a Christian perspective.
Examples:

NOT APPROPRIATE: A recipe for green beer, just by itself.

OK: A post which discusses how drinking has been part of Christian celebrations including St. Patricks day, which also happens to have a recipe for Green Beer.

If you have more than one post that you'ld like to include, feel free to post as many as you'ld like. Old posts are fine too (just don't repost one I already have)! A link back is appreciated but not required. If you like you can grab the button code below:

Leading up to St. Patricks day I decided to read 4 - 5 sections of St. Patricks Confessiodaily until I had finished it. Will you join me as I read? I will post quotes from each days reading, and possibly some thoughts on it, each day. The text is free online, and 5 sections aren't very long, as each section is only one paragraph, and sometimes only a sentence. I will be sharing a quote from the text each day, and some thoughts, and would like to hear yours as well. It is available free online so I hope some of you will join me in reading this.

Section 1-3 introduces St. Patrick's kidnapping and the beginning of his faith. In section 4-5 he talks about the trinity and his reason for sharing the Gospel. The following things he said about God really spoke to me.

He guarded me before I knew him, and before I came to wisdom and could distinguish between good and evil. He protected me and consoled me as a father does for his son.

...He is the one who was not begotten, the one without a beginning, the one from whom all beginnings come, the one who holds all things in being.